Greg Bear I've heard of but never tried. Douglas Adams I've always kind of resisted, I can't tell you why, but maybe I'll try him now. And Iain Banks is a name I have never heard before. He I will definitely try!

None of the guys on here! For me H.P. Lovecraft (not for his writing but his imagination) and Robin Hobb (she's just all round tremendous). If I had to pick someone off the list though it would be George R R Martin, Storm of Swords was pretty damn good.

Haven't been reading much, but I used to read a lot of really cheesy fantasy. As far as decent authors go, though, I'd recommend Timothy Findley. He would write fantasy books based on real life events. Pilgrim is quite good, though maybe a bit slow paced.

"I say, play your own way. Donít play what the public wants. You play what you want and let the public pick up on what youíre doing, even if it does take them fifteen, twenty years." -Thelonious Monk

big fan of Roger Zelazny for the excellent Amber series.also Frank Herbert for Dune, and GRRM for Song of Ice and Fire

I was trying to explain like I like Zelazny's stories so much, which is very similar to why I like the Myst story so much, but wikipedia did it better than me

"Many of Zelazny's works explore variations upon the idea that if
there exists an infinite number of worlds, then every world that can be
imagined must exist, somewhere. Powerful beings in many of his stories
have the ability to travel to worlds that possess precisely the
characteristics which that being wishes to experience. Many of
these same characters wonder whether they are creating these special
places anew, or are merely finding places which already exist"

the realm of SF is so vast there can be no definitive list, though this one does seem to be a little americentric with omissions. Personally I'd have chosen Vonnegut, Asimov, Clarke, Wells, Verne, etc. over Rowling if only for the reason that she's not a SF author.

If you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise and then just behave like they would - Neil Gaiman

Much to chose from! I gave my vote to Frank Herbert, for his visionary and very dark "Dune" series. Others that I am partial to include Harlan Ellison, Poul Anderson, Larry Niven for his "Ringworld" works etc.

the realm of SF is so vast there can be no definitive list, though this one does seem to be a little americentric with omissions. Personally I'd have chosen Vonnegut, Asimov, Clarke, Wells, Verne, etc. over Rowling if only for the reason that she's not a SF author.

Never heard of Sladek!

This list is by no means intended to indicate "Best" or "best ever" just a list of writers that I've really enjoyed. I am actually quite inexperienced in this domain. And, yes, this list never intended to include fiction pre-dating WWII. Also, this thread includes "fantasy" as well as sci fi, thus the presence of Martin and Rowling.

I am not drawn much into fiction anymore, and when I was it was mostly psychological drama like that of Dostoevsky or Salinger. Pratchett, Adams, and Vonnegut could never keep me interested. The worlds and writing of Dan Simmons is the only one of recent years to really draw me in and keep me interested.

Thanks again, Pogsters, for the suggestions! I'm ready for some new adventures!

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot create polls in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum